Jail Escapee Killed by Hostages

Rafael Arnez McCloud allegedly had killed once before. More than eight months later — and days after escaping a Mississippi jail — he appeared poised to kill again. Wielding a bloody knife, he held a man, a woman and their 5-year-old son hostage in a bathroom of their Vicksburg home.

But this time, he was the one who ended up dead.

Early Thursday, the 24-year-old wife and mother, who’d been allowed to leave the bathroom, returned with a handgun and fired one shot at McCloud, police said. She then freed her husband, who “took control of the weapon and fired additional shots, striking McCloud.”

The husband went outside and flagged down a motorist, who called 911. Neighbor Ollie Dixon saw him outside, “wounded and bleeding everywhere.”

Kudos to the young wife for her courage. We can also be thankful that she had the means to defend herself and her family.